Monday, February 13, 2012
Food Fight The Great Fish-and-Chip-Off of 2012: First Report
Posted by Chris Chamberlain on Mon, Feb 13, 2012 at 7:33 AM
Occasionally another dude crashes the party, and his attendance is always welcome since he tells us stories about the stars that cannot be repeated in this space. But the core group of four of us are serious about our task of finding the best fish and chips in town. However, we're not serious about much else, so the lunch conversation is always lively.
So here are the results of rounds 1 to 3:
Dan McGuinness Pub
1538 Demonbreun St.
(615) 252-1991
The tartar sauce was deemed to be a little bit sweet and lacking in the pickle relish department. There was a random sprinkling of parsley all over the dish, so maybe it missed the tartar sauce bowl during prep. Overall, the Luncheros considered Dan McGuinness a strong offering, especially for the price on Thursdays. Taking the price into account, we gave it an average score of 4.125 fillets out of a possible 5.
Fleet Street Pub
207 Printers Alley
(615) 200-0782
The fish and chips looked amazing coming to the table. An app size of two fillets goes for $7.75 and were perfectly golden brown on the outside. My first fillet was delicious and moist, but unfortunately the second piece had fallen victim to a fryer that was perhaps heated to too high of a temperature. (Good thing we had a real culinary professional Nicki along with us to diagnose that problem.) The way the problem manifested itself to me was in pockets of bitter uncooked baking powder in the crust.
Maybe the fryer is set that high to ensure that the french fries that come with the fish can be so awesome. They are hand-cut and thrice cooked, and Fleet Street brags that they are "the best fries in the city" — and they may just be right. We all agreed that Fleet Street definitely has the potential to serve the best fish and chips in the city, but based on what we sampled we had to give them a 3.5, although an "incomplete" might have been more appropriate. We'll be back to try them again and would like to hear more about Bitesters' experiences.
Whiskey Kitchen
118 12th Ave. S.
(615) 254-3029
Whiskey Kitchen's fish and chips were a little skimpy on the fries, which for the money was disappointing. C'mon M Street, dump a few more taters in the bowl, please. They were tasty, though, so maybe why that's why we craved more. Both the fries and the fish benefited from an inventive tartar sauce that actually had a bit of a remoulade character to it. The fish was a tad greasy, but nobody said that this was supposed to be health food, right?
An interesting option were the Baja Fish Tacos, which actually offered three expertly-fried snapper fillets for less than the price of the regular fish and chips. Add in the julienned veggies that come alongside for making your own tacos, this dish was deemed the deal of the day. But we're not on a Fish Taco hunt (yet), so we had to pass judgment on Whiskey Kitchen based on the fish and chips. Factoring the price and the value, the group settled on an average score of 3.25. Although that was slightly disappointing, there are plenty of other good reasons to visit Whiskey Kitchen, not the least of which is whiskey.
Next up on the agenda are Blackstone, Whole Foods and a dark horse with a strong following, McNamara's Irish Pub and Restaurant in Donelson. Maybe I'll wait until after my annual physical so that my doc doesn't measure the malt vinegar content of my bloodstream.
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Comments (24)
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I know you won't check out O'Charley's because it isn't hip; they have very good fish & chips for $6.99.
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I have no fear of O'Chuck's. In fact, I used to play in a band that was the house band for five different locations, so I've eaten hundreds of meals there. Bacon Cheddar Chicken Sandwich (BCCSan for the in the know) was my major food group throughout the 90's.
Never had the Fish and Chips though. Must investigate.
Tried the Fleet Street recently, and found the batter too thick (despite the waitress's unsolicited description of the batter as light). Believe it or not, the best Fish & Chips I've had around here is at Sambuca.
I've quite enjoyed Whole Foods Grill F&C, so I'll be curious to see how the Luncheros like it.
If you weren't all a bunch of elitest commie liberal hipsters, you would be reviewing Captain D's. I mean, they're all about fish and chips.
The fish and chips at 6th & Pine (the restaurant in Nordstrom) are also really good, despite the fact that they serve them with shoestring fries.
Yes, give Fleet Street a do-over. That picture looks pretty unappetizing -- nothing like what I experienced on my visit.
Captain D's... now there's a guilty pleasure. I think there's an argument to be made for going there, even though it's not trying to be British-style; a lot of these places are "fish and chips" in name only. Shoestrings? In the words of Job Bluth, Come on! I can also speak to the deliciousness of O'Charley's fish and chips, though quality varies across locations. Brentwood never fails me.
I used to love Captain D's and still crave it sometimes. But every time I give it another chance these days, I get that familiar shoe-polish aftertaste of old stale grease and iffy fish. If somebody knows a fairly consistent one, I'd be happy to give it a try someday.
"I think there's an argument to be made for going there, even though it's not trying to be British-style"
Some would argue that any place that serves tartar sauce isn't British-style, side of mushy peas or not. Chip shops that even have tartar sauce on hand are a rarity in the UK. Brown sauce, yes, tartar, no.
I also didn't come across many chip shops in the UK that served a cut of potato narrower than your thumb. Fries ain't chips.
I have to say I wasn't impressed with Batter'd and Fried's batter, but that was a few years ago. Possible cornmeal? I do like Dan McG's alright, and they have HP Sauce on hand.
I kind of like the Captain D's in Bellevue, Pink. Not like it's a fresh piece of plaice or rock salmon or cod, but at least there's big flakes and no freezer burn. And they actually seem to change out their fry oil at least semi-annually. Decent hush puppies as well.
No love for McNamara's in Donelson? I mean, it's a ways to drive for the average Scenester, but they do a bangup job of the Fish & Chips, in my opinion. And the music is pretty dang good Thursday-Saturday nights.
@Don't Ask -- As Chris mentions in the post, McNamara's is on the agenda for the next expedition.
The tasty pictures distracted me. Bad editor! Bad use of insufficient gutter width!
DA, I am personally responsible to all pictures and layouts, so don't blame the editors! 8^)
Allow me to use this Valentine's Day forum to express my love for the editorial staff at the Scene for making my drivel readable. If only they cought my typos in the comments.
I can honestly say we on Bites have never before been criticized for our gutters. Maybe for not keeping our minds out of the gutter ...
Mr Pink
Best Captain D's is on Jefferson St off Rosa Parks Blvd (formerly 8th Ave No).
The review on Whiskey Kitchen seems to be consistent with all the M Street restaurants, great vibe, atmosphere, but always feel you have been taken advantage of due to ridiculously high prices that are truly out of line. I had the Fish Tacos at Tavern and the server was apologizing as she brought them for the skimpy nature vs. cost. I would love for this group to be more reasonable with cost vs. food quality/quantity.
I'm looking forward to the McNamera's write-up since they sit in my backyard. Still need to visit Fleet Street despite the incomplete rating. Blackstone is one of my favs. When at Blackstone, be sure to taste their house-made applesauce.
I've been going to Batter'd & Fried since I first heard their ads on 100.1, long before the Wave Sushi concept was brought in. It's a nice place for the occassional meal, not going to rival anything from across the pond, but it is enjoyable for a night out. I used to get the grouper tenders, but have since gone with their F&C. The grouper was getting mighty small for the price. F&C always fills me up.
Can't speak for all Capt'n D's, but the one in Donelson isn't bad. Granted, I go about once every 2 years, but their crispy style always hits the spot. Don't forget to get a boat of the yum yums, or whatever they are called. It's the fried batter that falls off the fish, they will give you a big scoop of it. Healthy? No. Tasty? You bet.
Wow, 37214, what useful information. I also go to Cap'n D's only every 2 years, but I've always loved the taste of the little grumblies that fall off the filets; I had no idea that you could ask for more of them!
McNamara's is great, the music on the weekends is worth the trip. Food is pretty good too although I have not yet had the fish & chips. McCreary's in Franklin has excellent F&C.
Cool Springs Brewery just put Fish and Chips on the menu this week.
The owners are English his father had one of the busiest Chip shops in the east of England for 30 years and trained the kitchen. I am telling you go there. These are the best I have ever had anywhere! They use the highest quality cod available from Boston. A product one of the owners Chris told me according to the Boston Fish distributor is not used in a single Nashville restaurant!
Seriously. You get a piece of fish that is nearly a foot long!
Nashville look no further!
Sean
